John a



(No Model.)

J. A. PEER.

` ROLLER SKATE. No. 339,317. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

NTTED STATES PATENT JOHN A. PEER, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO, THOMPSON & NORRIS, OF SAME PLACE.

ROLLER-SKATE.

SPECIFICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,317, dated April 6, 1886.

Application tiled April 20, i855. Serial No. 162,730. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. PEER, of Brook lyn,in Kings county andtheState ofNewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Boller-Skates, of which the following is a specification.

I will describe a skate embodying :ny iniprovement and then point out the various features of the improvement in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of a skate embodying myiinprovement, the rollers being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan thereof, one pair of rollers being shown as swung around. Fig. 3

15 is an inverted view of the forward part of the skate with the forward pair of rollers, their.

journals, and bearing-piece removed. Fig. 4 is a top view of the bearingpiece. Fig.` 5 is a transverse section taken at the plane of the dotted line x fr, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken at the plane of the dotted line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a front View of certain parts as seen when looking at them in the direction indicated by the line z.

Similar letters of reference designate corre sponding parts in all the gures.

A designates the foot-piece of the skate. It maybe made of wood or any'appropriate metal and shaped to suit the taste.

B B designate two brackets or projections, made of metal, preferably malleable cast-iron. Their under sides incline toward each other, the under side of the forward bracket, B, inclining rearwardly toward the foot-piece, and the rear bracket, B,inclinin g forwardly toward the foot-piece. The brackets may be secured to the foot-piece by screws a or otherwise. The forward bracket has formed with it slideways b, in which and below the foot-piece iit the shanks of clamping-jaws C, that are operated by a screw, D, having right and left hand threads engaging with tapped holes in lugs at the inner ends of the Shanks of the clampingjaws. The heel-clamps may be of any desirale kind, and can be connected with the foot-l piece and operated in any approved manner.

Each of the brackets B B has on the under side a spheroidal protuberance, c, and aflange, d, extending about half-way around it and 5o made Haring inside and spheroidal on the exterior. The surface e, from which the protuberance c and iiange d extend, inclines or bends laterally from the center toward the foot-piece in both directions.

Each pair of rollers is vconnected to a bearing-piece, E. The bearing-piece of each pair of rollers has an upper surface, f, which from the center inclines downwardly in both directions laterally. It has a cavity, g, which lits around the flange d of the corresponding bracket, and a circular flange, h, which fits between the iiange d and the adjacent protuberance c. A center-pin, P, or screw passes loosely through a hole at the center of each bearingpiece and engages with a tapped hole inthe protuberance c of the corresponding bracket. Between the shank or body of the screw and a cavity, t', with which the under side of the bearing-piece is provided, and above the head of the screw, a block of indiarubber or analogous material, H, iits tightly.

By forcing the screw farther into the protuberance of the bracket with which it engages the block H may be expanded so circumferentially that it will it more tightly between' the screw and the cavity and by withdrawing the screw partly from said protuberance the block will be allowed to contract circumferentially, so that it will t less tightly between the screw and the cavity t'. Preferably a metal washer, I, is arranged around the body or shank of each screw and between its head and the adjacent block H. Vhen the user of the skate inclines the foot-piece laterally, the brackets B B are caused to rock laterally upon the bearing-pieces E. Owing to the incli nation of the brackets this causes the bearingpieces to slide toward each other on the side at which the foot-piece is depressed, and consequently away from each other at the side of the foot-piece which is elevated. The pairs of rollers thus range themselves with ,their axes in the position of radii of a curve and facilitate the travel of the skate around a curve.

In the adjustment of the bearing-pieces as described, the surfaces e of the brackets B B rock on the surfaces f of the bearingpieces E, protuberances c of the brackets rock and turn in the ilanges 71. of the bearing-pieces, and the flanges d rock and turn in the cavities g of roo the bearing-pieces. These adjustments of the bearing-,pieces are resisted by the blocks H, which always also tend to bring the foot-piece to a horizontal position above the bearingpieces. The movements of the skater will act to bring the foot-piece to the horizontal position.

Above the ilanges cl of the brackets B B', and nearer to the center of the skate, there are arranged on the under surfaces of the brackets B B blocks of india-rubber or like material J. They are fitted into semi-cylindric flanges j, extending from the brackets and secured in place by screws K, whose bodies or shanks pass through them and engage with tapped holes in the brackets. Washers of metal L are made to surround the bodies or shanks of these screws between the heads and the blocks J.

'Ihe bearing-pieces E have in the edges cavitiesv that iit the blocks J. The blocks .I resist the swinging of the bearing-pieces and tend to bring the latter back to their normal position after they have been swung around. By adjusting the screws K these blocks ,I may be expanded circumferentially or allowed to contract, and the resistance which they offer to thevswinging of the bearing-pieces can thus be varied to adapt the skates to persons of dif'- ferent weight.

It will be observed that the ends of the anges d act as stops to prevent a too extended lateral movement of the bearing-pieces E.

Although I have only shown one of the bearing-pieces swung around in Fig. 2, I do not mean to intimate that one would thus swing around while the other would remain in its normal position. I have only done this for convenience of illustrating the bearingpieces in different positions in a single view.

The journals M for the rollers N may be cast integral with their bearing-piece, as shown, in conjunction with the forward bearing-piece, B, or they may be formed in one shaft iitted in lugs k, extending from their bearing-piece, as illustrated, in connection with the rear bearing-piece, B'.

My skate is simple, cheap, and durable, and, withal, it is capable of traveling around very short curves.

W`hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a skate, the combination of rollers connectcd to a bearing-piece, E, the inclined bracket or projection B, the inclined surfaces ev f, and the center-pin or screw P, passing loosely through the bearing-piece E and engaging with the bracket or projection B, substantially as specified.

2. In a skate, the combination of rollers connected to a bearing-piece, E, the inclined bracket or projection B, the inclined surfaces e f, the block II, and the center-pin or screw I), passing loosely through the bearingpiece E and engaging with the bracket or projection B, substantially as specified.

3. In askate, the combination of rollers connected to a bearing-piece, E, the inclined bracket or projection B, the inclined surfaces cf, the spheroidal protuberance c, the ange h, the cavity fi, the center-pin or screw P, passing loosely through the bearing-piece E and engaging with the bracket B and the block H, substantially as specied.

4. In skate, the combination of rollers connected to a bearing-piece, E, the inclined bracket B, the inclined surfaces ef, the spheroidal protuberance c, the flange h, thevange d, the cavity g, and the center-pin I?, the ends of the iiange cl constituting stops to limit the lateral movement of the bearing-piece E, substantially as specified.

5. In askate, the combination of rollers connected to a bearing-piece, E, the inclined bracket or projection B, the inclined surfaces ef, the spheroidal protuberance c, the flange h, the flange d, the cavity g, the center-pin or screw I), the pin or screw K, and the block J, for resisting the lateral movement of the bearing-piece E, substantially as specified.

JOHN A. PEER. Vitnesses:

T. J. KEANE, XV. G. LiPsnY. 

